The challenge today in implementing educational technology is no longer one of acquiring equipment, but rather one of improved adoption, diffusion, and use of computers. Effective implementation requires effective planning and action to ensure equity of access to resources, coordination of resources, and developing infrastructures for information…

This comprehensive guide explores Problem-Based Learning (PBL), an innovative approach to leadership training. PBL has been adapted from its original use in medical school training into a tool for administrator preparation. In PBL, a real-life scenario with an open-ended problem or question for which there is no single right solution is presented.…

This guide's 11 sections are: "Evolution of Whole School Reform (WSR) in New Jersey"; "Department of Education Organizational Structure in Support of Urban Education Reform"; "Whole School Reform Regulations"; "School Management Teams: Leading the Process"; "Becoming a Whole School Reform School";…

Describes peer tutoring in French in urban comprehensive school. Aim was to interest and motivate older pupils to obtain valuable oral practice, and through teaching another, to learn the work better themselves. Observations, achievement tests, and attitude measures suggest that this process may have a great deal to offer and teachers can run…

Gives suggestions about starting a school family center, beginning with a survey of parents to assess needs and wishes. A survey-planning process is outlined and a sample parent survey is included. Surveys must be tailored to the needs of the community, including translation into languages spoken by the parents. (SLD)

This collection of handouts from a workshop on meeting the needs of at-risk urban students stresses the necessity of empathy and involvement in working with disadvantaged youth. The first handouts, "I Remember When I Was a Teenager," and "Teens Need To Have Adults That...," remind the adult youth worker of adolescent…

The Chicago (Illinois) School Reform Act of 1988 (Public Act 85-1418) requires each attendance center in the Chicago Public Schools system to prepare a three-year School Improvement Plan. This guide was prepared to help schools coordinate various plans and to link improvement planning with budgeting. The guide includes four principal sections. The…

To remedy the problem of an ineffective homework policy, a Follow Through kindergarten teacher at the George Howland elementary school in Chicago, Illinois, implemented a practicum designed to increase parent involvement with the school. The program designed for the practicum included: (1) regular homework assignments, (2) grading of homework by…

As a result of a conference dealing with truancy, problems of non-attendance, and violent and disruptive behavior at school, a small scale survey was conducted of 18 urban schools in England to examine these problems and to report on practices and procedures which the schools had found helpful in coping with them. It emerged during the survey that…

In reviewing a study of elementary urban school teachers, the author points out how the bureaucracy of education stifles teachers' ability to develop an internalized locus of control and leads to disenchantment and alienation. Giving teachers authority to act in their areas of expertise while decentralizing the educational power structure will…

Strategies that decreased school disruption and increased safety in a large urban high school are listed. Identified as major factors in maintaining a positive school climate are good student-teacher relations and a responsive curriculum reflecting student needs and interests and the changing emphases of society. (MJL)

This research brief examines the potential of technology to further the goals of restructuring U.S. schools. Strategies are presented for restructuring schools with technology. Although restructuring means different things to different people, the restructuring movement has generally focused on reorganizing school processes, taking a…

This book provides teaching models, classroom organization schemes, and management practices that can quickly improve a teacher's capacity to reach unmotivated and disengaged students. Examples are drawn from elementary, middle, and secondary schools. After Chapter 1 (Part I) introduces the problem and describes the characteristics of at-risk…

This book is written primarily for elementary and secondary school administrators and teachers, but college faculty involved in providing teacher or administrator education would also benefit from the practical approach to issues of school security. Chapters 1 through 3 establish a framework for dealing with the myths and realities of school…

This guide is designed to help secondary school teachers include African literature in their classes. It furnishes English and social studies teachers with a foundation for teaching African literature by offering critical commentary on the texts themselves. A synthesis of anthropological and historical material is presented to help both teachers…